Thorns that do not go away

While at dinner, I thought of Patch Adams, both the man and the movie (the common cold makes fertile the mind). It's still one of those very inspirational movies, at least to me. Specifically, I was thinking of the conversation he had with Arthur Mendelssohn at the mental institute.

"If you focus on the problem, you can't see the solution..."

And then I thought of what he said to the medical jury.

"Either way, I'll probably be viewed as a thorn. But I promise you, I'm a thorn that will never go away."


I've always realised that we often end up hurting the ones we love most. Sivin himself told me (during the hard times last year) that only a friend can betray a friend.

On my last night in Singapore, Tien echoed this sentiment when she SMS-ed, "We hurt the people we love best. Always."

And yet, friends are also thorns that do not go away. They pierce us, but also, they pierce for us. And they pierce with us.

* * * * *


This picture... have you seen this guy? He seems to have disappeared. Last seen in Seminari Theoloji Malaysia (STM) sometime in November 2005.


Just this evening, Tien alluded to a good conversation she had with Zheng, one that was "probably a tad too serious for McD's."


Thinking of the things that have happened over the past two years, I realise some things/people can never quite let go of gravity; in a world of lightness and fluff and consumerism and materialism, they remain weighty.

Bono, in the autobiography U2 by U2 said of their album Pop, "...some things you can't leave behind... Deep down we weren't as shallow as we'd like."

It's an album I've yet to hear; generally it received bad reviews, but one thing almost all the reviewers agreed on was that the album was too heavy for an attempt at hedonism and disco-like moods. U2 just couldn't be light and narcissistic.

But for now, the foray into the world of the opposite is still wild and exciting. And I'm not quite ready to let go of the ride just yet.

* * * * *

Had lunch today with Praba, Canteen (his new nickname) and Li-Shia at The Weld's Pizza Hut. Phak Hoe couldn't make it.

Met Canteen in the VIOBA Clubhouse parking lot, which, I've just realised is a wonderful place--in town--to park for free. The main gate is never locked, only the second gate that opens into the school.

It was a good afternoon; learning from Praba that holding hands prevents the other person from running away or disappearing; discovering that Macsimize rescues third-world children from their Western captors/exploiters; experiencing a lunch in which we had to wait for virtually everything except the change after Praba settled the bill; getting acquanted with Datuk Anandakrishnan's (of Astro and Maxis) nickname, Andy K; finding out that Canteen is interested in this girl called Dorene/Doreen; coming to terms with the ugly reality that Li-Shia drinks; learning that all High Commissions have bars; hearing stories about Praba's Judy... and much more!

(Not all of the above are true of real life, but all are true of this afternoon.)


Anyway, the offer sounds good. And while I was at the Bukit Jalil LRT station, I recalled Bono's words about committing to the fight against poverty;

"Don't ask God to bless what you're doing. Find out what God's doing and do it, for it is already blessed."

Of course it isn't wrong to ask for God's blessing, but that's not Bono's point. And as I approached and walked through the turnstiles, it occurred to me that perhaps all this wasn't an accident. The one who might've declined, did not.


Perhaps there is reason behind this rashness, or has Polonius (of Hamlet) might've said it, method in this madness.